Chapter 146 The Duke’s Wife Invites

Hu Xin'er knew the reason for his sigh without even asking: "Is it because of the Second Young Miss?"

Mu Qing was a little surprised: "You actually knew that."

Hu Xin'er explained, "I saw that the Second Miss's painting was of you. I guess she must have admired you for a long time. If you feel unhappy, just don't do it."

There was a conflicted look between Mu Qing's eyebrows, mixed with a hint of resentment.

They are indeed an old couple and have no sense of crisis.

The lady had no awareness of her rival in love, which made him seem jealous and lacking in tolerance.

Hu Xiner almost thought she had seen it wrong, these emotions flashed by in a flash.

Mu Qing sighed again: "I'm worried about you."

Hu Xin'er laughed at him, "What could possibly happen to me in the Duke's Mansion? Besides, I have your reputation to protect me."

Mu Qing stared at her intently for a few seconds, his sleeves hanging wide enough to cover their clasped hands.

"It's not a good idea to do this in public, right?"

They are obviously an old couple, but they are cousins.

When Hu Xiner's hand was held by Mu Qing, she couldn't help but blush and her heart beat fast.

Mu Qing held her hand tightly and shook it childishly, which scared Hu Xiner so much that she looked around to avoid being discovered.

The person who teased her put on a faint smile and said, "I'll wait a few days to see how things are going. I'll leave after you're familiar with the environment."

The next day, when Hu Xiner came to the study, she was ready for a tough battle.

Unexpectedly, there was a little maid inside. When she saw the study door being opened, she was immediately frightened like a little rabbit.

"Who are you?" Hu Xin'er couldn't help but lower her voice.

"I, I am the little maidservant beside the invincible and tyrannical Master Jing'an. My name is Luo Yun."

The little maid finished her words haltingly, and Hu Xiner burst out laughing.

This Xuanyuan Jing'an is so childish that he even chose such a long prefix in front of his name!

And he even let the maid read it out loud. How mean!

"Luo Yun, where is your young master?" Hu Xiner asked with a smile, her nervous mood relieved a little.

"The young master was too tired yesterday and didn't get up this morning." Luo Yun said timidly, "But he told me last night that he would come to settle the score with you!"

Hu Xin'er almost laughed herself to death: "No way, with his limited skills, he still has the nerve to fight me?"

"Don't say that!" Luo Yun said nervously, "Yesterday, the young master changed his name after returning yesterday. You'd better still call him the Invincible King of Tyrants, the Young Master Who Never Gives Up."

Luo Yun almost burst into tears just by saying these two sentences. Who could subdue the young master?

Hu Xiner shook her head and was secretly proud of herself. Her strategy was indeed effective and had made Xuanyuan Jing'an, that naughty kid, exhausted!

Just when I was about to tease the little maid named Luo Yun, I suddenly saw the head of a strange maid at the door.

The maid had two buns on her head and was wearing a Yunhu satin dress. Her face looked fearful and defensive.

Seeing that only Hu Xin'er and Luo Yun were in the study, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked over gracefully: "Miss Lu, the Duke's wife wants to see you."

Hu Xiner was taken all the way to the Duke's wife's room. The maid looked at her with some admiration in her eyes. It was obvious that her glorious deeds of bravely fighting Xuanyuan Jing'an must have been spread.

Considering the size of the Duke's Mansion, it took a full stick of incense to reach the Duke's wife's room.

The Duchess is General Xuanyuan's original wife. Although her skin color is a little dark, one can still tell from her eyebrows that she is a beautiful woman with three-dimensional features.

As soon as Hu Xin'er came in, she burst into laughter: "It's you, a little girl, who sneaked in disguised as a man?"

Hu Xin'er bowed and said, "Indeed, I wonder why Madam called me here?"

The Duke's wife's eyes were bright and full of spirit. She looked at Hu Xin'er for a long moment, then said with a hint of disappointment, "I thought a little girl like you could deceive so many people. What kind of hero are you? How come you look so delicate?"

"My lady, those are all disguise techniques."

Hu Xiner didn't expect that the Duke's wife was as straightforward as General Xuanyuan. She had a good impression of people with this kind of personality, so she chatted with the Duke's wife about the topic of disguise for a while.

As they chatted, the Duke's wife slapped her thigh and said, "Oh, I forgot something! Little sister, I heard you're a good painter, why don't you draw a portrait of Li Zi?"

"Portraits?" Hu Xin'er's eyes lit up. Business was in! "Sure, I wonder what kind of portrait you want, Madam?"

"Just paint it like other people's houses." The Duke's wife clapped her hands, and the servants lined up and unfolded the scrolls in their hands.

They were all portraits of various beauties from the capital, with their names and family backgrounds marked in the lower right corner.

Hu Xin'er suddenly realized: "But the Second Miss has reached the age to get married?"

"Yes, I'm trying to find her a husband." The Duke's wife had nothing to hide. "Families like ours usually arrange marriages early on. If she doesn't hurry up, her ideal husband will be snatched up by someone else!"

"That makes sense." Hu Xiner nodded. Women of this era needed a portrait whether they were participating in the princes' selection of concubines or exchanging information with matchmakers.

It is easy to draw a portrait, but difficult to draw it well.

The portrait must be true to life, but more beautiful than life, and must capture her temperament.

"So, little sister, do you agree?" The Duke's wife laughed heartily. "When we were chatting just now, I saw that you are quite familiar with the situations of various families. Why don't you look for a couple for my daughter? Introduce a few suitable candidates?"

"No, no, I'm not married yet, how can I be a matchmaker for someone?" Hu Xiner was embarrassed, although with the connections in the Lu family, they could indeed find many suitable men.

But anyone can do this, except her.

Xuanyuan Huili has an unclear affection for Mu Qing. If she knew that it was her love rival Hu Xiner who acted as a matchmaker for her, she would probably want to kill Hu Xiner.

"Alas, why hasn't a good girl like you married yet?" The Duke's wife sighed. "Although you're not as pretty and talented as my granddaughter, you can still find a good family!"

Hu Xin'er was hit by a fatal blow. To be fair, Xuanyuan Huili's appearance was only at the level of a little beauty, and her talent was not well-known in the capital.

But in the words of the Duke's wife, it seemed that even the eldest princess was not as smart, outstanding, or from a good family as Xuanyuan Huili.

"Well, how much is the fee for a portrait?" Hu Xiner didn't want to argue with the sponsor, so she quickly changed the subject.

The Duke's wife did not give a direct answer, but said that several waves of painters had come before, and she was not satisfied with any of them.

Xuanyuan Huili is her daughter who came later in life, and in her eyes she looks like a fairy.

She was dissatisfied with the painters' lack of vividness in their drawings, which delayed Xuanyuan Huili's search for a good husband. This difficult task now fell into Hu Xin'er's hands...